Current Projects
Research Project: Funding to local Civil Society Organizations in East Africa
Context:
At the forefront of social justice movements in the Global South are countless civil society organizations and activists working to cement and safeguard human rights. These groups and activists face numerous challenges that limit their impact on rights advancement. The issue of funding in particular presents a serious threat to local social justice activism in the global south. According to available funding data, the level and type of funding allocated to social justice groups, particularly in Africa, fails to reflect the unique needs of these important institutions. Much of the funding channeled to these organizations is in the form of short term, non- renewable, and project specific grants with limited thematic focus (Ford Foundation, 2018).
Further compounding these challenges is the percentage of total global funding available to local groups on the continent. Historically, global funding to human rights organizations has gone to subsidiaries of international NGOs (Civicus, 2019). In fact, this trend has remained largely unchanged even when the world has grown and continues to become “increasingly multipolar and dynamic…with new centers of moral legitimacy” (Ford Foundation, 2018). At the same time, there has been growing recognition among donors of the need to channel greater funding to human rights groups in the Global South (Ford Foundation, 2018; OECD, 2020.) Unfortunately, this recognition hasn’t translated into meaningful support as a large percentage of international funding continues to go to International NGOs (Civicus, 2019). In fact, of the USD 142.6 billion spent on official development assistance (ODA) by OECD-DAC countries in 2018, only 15% or USD 19.7 billion went directly to civil society groups in the global south (Civicus, 2019). This figure has remained unchanged even while ODA for 2020 increased by USD 20 billion (OECD, 2020).
At the same time, research shows that human rights organizations in the Global South are better poised to thrive with unrestricted, multiyear general operating support over a relative long period of time as this allows them to be more responsive and strategic in facing new challenges (Ford Foundation, 2018). With more stable funding over a long period of time, human rights groups are able to strategize more effectively and respond to the changing political landscapes (Ford Foundation, 2018). Unfortunately, at the core of this mismatch in funding need and support is general awareness of the type and level of funding needed to ensure long term sustainability of these groups.
Project overview:
To that end, Saro Media plans to implement a survey of funding trends to local civil society organizations in East Africa to better understand the challenges these organizations face, specifically the type of funding available to these groups. As it stands, there is limited data and research on this topic. Through this project, we hope to remediate this issue while also raising awareness about the deleterious impact of limited and non-tailored grant making to local civil society organizations in East Africa.
Goal:
Ultimately the goal of this research project is to inspire not only greater philanthropic support but also tailored or strategic grant making to these organizations that will allow them to have a deeper impact on social justice advancement on the continent while also furthering their long-term operation.
References:
Civicus. (2016). Southern Philanthropy, Social Justice and Human Rights. https://www.civicus.org/index.php/media-resources/reports- publications/1777-paper-southern-philanthropy-social-justice-and-human- rights
Civicus. (2019.). Shifting the Power to Grassroots Movements. Retrieved January 17, 2021, from https://www.civicus.org/index.php/media- resources/reports-publications/3969-shifting-the-power-to-grassroots- movements
Ford Foundation. (2019). Strengthening Human Rights Worldwide: A Learning Review Summary. Ford Foundation. Retrieved January 16, 2021, from https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/learning/program- evaluations/strengthening-human-rights-worldwide-a-learning-review- summary/